Chapter 524 – Deep State Secrets
“Cough, cough, cough!” Miria waved the thick dust away from her face. “These things pack a punch for something so tiny. The explosion Master caused on the surface didn’t convey it properly.”
Noir used her wings to disperse the remaining powder and debris, standing next to her with all her draconic features drawn out.
“One can easily imagine the fate of this place if even half of the hidden caches were allowed to serve their role,” the draconic girl commented sharply, her keen eyes scanning the other side of the hole they had created.
Asterios was ready for any surprises too, his greatsword at his side. They had used a few batches of the bottled solutions they had retrieved from the hidden chambers to blow up the copper barrier separating them from the dwarven citadel. Surrounding them with a shield of combined black and red flames, the full brunt of the explosive force was guided in a single direction, preventing the tunnel from collapsing by accident.
“Huh. I kind of expected guards to start pouring out or at least shouting an alarm the moment we breached the wall.” The panthergirl tilted her feline head, her bloodline fully drawn out.
“They had previous dealings with Dragons. I assume they must have expected Asterios to take the front gate and make a statement. By sneaking in through the bottom level, we’ve bought ourselves some time before we are challenged,” Noir commented.
“Let’s get in. We don’t have time to waste. Keep your guards up.” Asterios ruffled through his mate’s hair in passing and led the charge.
The party approached the blown-out hole. It was sizable enough to fit through a whole wagon or even two. Considering the might of the explosion, it wasn’t surprising. They had honestly expected more, but the weird rust-colored metal held better than they thought it would. It looked like someone punched through a steel plate, the edges of the breach jagged and bent inwards, still dangerous to a common person.
Stepping past the rough entrance, all three of them felt the atmosphere shift.
Miria’s fur stood at its end, a light shiver running down her spine. “This feeling…”
Asterios looked around with a frown, only partially searching for enemies. The other half of his attention was on the structure they had made way into, seeking answers to the sensation he too had experienced. Past the copper wall, the tunnels bore no sign of the special metal. They actually resembled mining shafts supported with arches at set intervals, and those were the bits made of the special alloy. The walls, the ceiling, and the floor appeared roughly excavated, rugged and uneven surfaces with serrated points hugging the sides.
But, at the same time, all that natural vibe felt off.
In just a moment, Asterios caught on as to why.
It was artificial. Manmade. Engineered to look like a mining shaft but meticulously designed.
He understood what Noir must have felt when he had brought her to Althea’s lair for the first time. His eyes picked up on the irregularities and regularities that quickly became jarring, almost a mockery of a miner’s honest work. Especially the mismatch between the simple rock and the expensive, intricate, shiny metal arches upholding it.
“This is strange…” Miria continued, her muzzle twisting in thought. “The air and pressure are familiar, but I can’t place it well… It’s almost like…”
“Back in Nebula,” Asterios said, making her gasp.
“Yes!” Her face whipped to his. “Like when we broke the walls of the undead dungeon there! But wait... Does that mean…”
“This is a dungeon,” Noir stated what they had figured out for themselves. “But it’s not one that came to be organically.”
“The dwarves are hiding a dungeon just like we do?!” Miria gaped at her in disbelief. “No wonder these bastards don’t want to hand it back after getting their hands on it!”
“I don’t think this is something that’s part of the ruling clan’s privilege.” Asterios hummed thoughtfully.
“Why not, Master?” His cheerful lover peered at him curiously.
“We’ve heard zero rumours or even whispers about something like this. Not even Noblesse’s agents picked up anything. No matter how great the entire race’s discipline is, it’s impossible to keep something so great under wraps. Amongst the rotating families in power, there is bound to be someone to slip up during a drunken stupor or something else. This knowledge could even be a driving force behind the dissatisfied insurgents, but Noir would not make the mistake of omitting that fact in her reports, isn’t that right?” He glanced at the shorter Dragon lady.
Noir nodded grimly. “Which means that this is a recent development. And as Miria said, it makes sense as to why Rubytongs are willing to sacrifice everyone else just to keep their spot. Just to keep it a secret.”
“And I can think of only one event major enough to bring forth such change,” Asterios added.
Another gasp left Miria’s lips. “You think your father did it?! But that would mean he can create dungeons?!”
“Is it that unbelievable?” He raised a brow at her. “We know they’ve been researching and experimenting on a lot of stuff with Kaguya. Maybe this wasn’t exactly their goal, but the necessary knowledge was there, and then the Rubytongs provided the rest of the variables. The seal on my mind is powerful. There is no doubt that Kaguya wasn’t enough to put it in place, otherwise Selene, who is clearly magnitudes stronger than her ancestor at that moment, would have been able to figure out bits at the worst. But, with the power of a dungeon and the technological genius of dwarves?”
“Indeed.” A voice rang by their side, but only Noir dropped into a fighting stance, a growl rumbling low in her throat.
Asterios and Miria turned to face Abyss with knowing smirks.
“Now that I am aware of this possibility, I feel foolish not to consider an artificial influence of this specific kind in the seal. As you would say, Grea must be kicking herself over not thinking of it either,” the dark-skinned goddess said jokingly, her expression unchanging. “We’ve pondered over various sources, but not a dungeon. They are notoriously difficult to control. Your little conquest can be considered an outlier.”
“Then, we might truly have a chance of fully recovering Master’s memories.” Miria’s jaw set in a determined tension. “But, we can’t act rashly now. Master always reminded us how unpredictable dungeons are. This isn’t normal infiltration anymore.”
A fond smile snuck onto Ast’s lips as he heard her words, full of the wisdom of their shared experience.
“Oh. This also explains why Grea and Umbra had trouble peering into the fort. His shadows were suppressed back then too.” Realization dawned on the clever catgirl. “But now that we made a hole in the structure and know that the Core definitely felt that, we don’t have to worry about our scrying being discovered, no? Should we ask them for help?”
Miria missed it in her bout of vocal consideration, but Noir was looking at her with her eyes widened a tiny bit. Clearly, this much precise knowledge and understanding wasn’t what she had expected to see from the usually silly beastfolk, who were supposed to have great instincts, not analytical and investigative capabilities, per her own earlier observations. Her gaze briefly met Ast’s, and he could tell she was reevaluating their recent conversation.
Asterios let her be and shook his head. “No. They would surely make things much easier, but they have their own tasks to focus on. We don’t want to stretch them too thin. Someone might pay with their life for that.”
He stepped closer to his furry lover and gently cupped her shoulders, looking down into her fierce but sweet eyes.
“I agree that it’s prudent to be cautious when it comes to dungeons, and my heart warms at the thought that you still remember and take my warnings seriously. But, we’ve come a great way since our first delves. You have come a great way since our first delves. To be honest, I feel like I could send you out on your own and just wait here for the good news without worry. That’s how far you’ve come.” Asterios offered her a warm smile.
Miria blinked a few times quickly as she took in his praise.
“Still, there’s no need to take such risks, is there? Just as there’s no need to involve more people. The two of us are enough to handle this. Together.” He chuckled, then threw a thumb over his shoulder. “Besides, we have a mighty and experienced True Dragon with us. She would crush this entire place alone if we let her.”
Noir snorted behind him. “With one arm bound at my back.”
That drew a cute giggle from the panthergirl, who then hopped up to press her fuzzy muzzle into Ast’s lips with a fluffy kiss.
“Yes, Master. Noir is super strong. And smart. We have this in the bag with her here.” Miria twirled around as she escaped his hold, sneakily rubbing the traces of wetness from the fur under her eyes. “What now, Master?”
“First, we need to silence the mechanism barraging the city with Golems.” He collected himself too. “We don’t know how big this place is and how long it will take us to find everything we need to find.”
“Good choice.” The Dragon girl nodded. “It shouldn’t be far from our current position since it would need to be woven into the front of the fortress. And if it’s operated manually rather than automated, we might be able to acquire more information about the citadel’s layout.”
“I shall remain by your side and observe,” Abyss chimed in. “Whenever the opportunity arises, I shall aid you with the depths of my knowledge and expertise, just as promised long ago. The debt will finally be repaid.”
Asterios didn’t consider their past deal as debt, but she winked out of existence before he could voice his thoughts. Shaking his head, he focused on his companions, who looked back at him, eager to hear his orders.
“Let’s go up. Miria, take the front. I’ll stay in the middle and study everything as we move. Noir, cover the rear, keep your shadows ready for a quick retreat,” he instructed his team, watching how the proud female would take it.
Noir seemed to regard Miria briefly, most likely warring with the belief that their positions would be better switched around, but ultimately nodded in agreement. That was good. Asterios wanted her to see Miria’s prowess with her own eyes. Then she would get a chance to show off herself.
Just as he was going to pick a random direction to start, the Dragon lady pointed a finger left.
“That way,” she proclaimed confidently. “While I’m at the back, I’ll keep my shadows spread out. When I sense anything useful, I will let you know. The elevation seems to rise the most out there.”
“Great. Thank you.” Asterios grinned at her. “Miria, lead on.”
“Aye, aye!” His bubbly mate cheered, unsheathed her swords, and rushed in.
They moved fast, all three of them pretty much at a physical peak. It wasn’t impossible to cover the distance through Shadow Movement and such, the disruption not as bothersome as in the past, but they didn’t want to miss anything important. They had no information on where the specific sections of the keep were located. Logic suggested that the biggest prize awaited them deep within, but things like archives, libraries, or sleeping quarters could be anywhere, and they would still be a valuable thing to rummage through.
Noir’s guess proved to be correct as they slowly climbed higher and higher over multiple rocky ramps. The corridors soon widened into proper hallways. No matter how far they had gotten, though, the space they ran through was mostly empty, save for the hanging crystal lanterns and copper support beams. Not a living soul crossed their path.
Not until they found a staircase and climbed it as far as to find another exit that let them out of the spiralling loft. The ascent made their heads spin a little, distorting their sense of direction, but Tia came to their rescue, accurately pointing out where they were facing thanks to her connection with the earth around, even when suppressed by the dungeon’s aura. Having a Dryad compass on demand was definitely a useful advantage.
Slipping out of the vertical shaft, they came into a sizable balcony. The ledge oversaw a massive hall stretching both sides, high enough to fit multi-story houses. To the left, it extended far into the distance. Far enough that the shadows and light blended into one point. To the right, the passage cut short, stopped by a thick, ornate gate. Ast’s group recognized it instantly.
It was the front entrance to the stone fortress.
“That looks like the welcoming committee down there,” Noir pointed out, and the other two glanced past the edge together.
Tens if not hundreds of constructs lined the decorative floor, ready to intercept whatever came through the gate. The legion was made mostly of Fe-Lines, but around a fourth seemed to be the Dragon Warriors. Some other, unknown to them yet shapes could be spotted in the army’s ranks, resembling different beasts and such.
“Shouldn’t they have been rushing towards the place we blew up?” Miria’s forehead creased cutely. “Ah. I was thinking of them like dungeon monsters who could hear the Core. Silly me.”
“No, I think your assessment was correct,” the Dragon girl said. “These might not appear like your typical monsters, but they are the dungeon’s creations. Influenced by the dwarves somehow, but still produced in this instance. For some reason, they didn’t receive orders. Or the Core isn’t as aware of its domain as it should be.”
“That would be weird.” The panthergirl’s muzzle scrunched.
“What isn’t weird here?” Asterios shrugged. “Let’s get moving before they spot us. And we don’t want them to get impatient enough to unleash this horde upon the town. Even our allies wouldn’t come unscathed with these numbers.”
So, they returned to the staircase, feeling the tremors in the walls that must have been caused by the Golem launchers. The higher they went, the stronger those became, which was a good sign. Not long after, they reached the end and walked into another substantial hall. This one had one big entrance and one exit opposite it, right by the edge. It seemed that this layout continued in either direction. And, since the wall from that direction was solid metal, it must be the outer shell of the keep.
With haste in their steps, they peeked into the exit and confirmed their suspicions. These compartments spanned the entire length of the fortress. And a few of them further, they saw some weird mechanisms guarded by a few Golems. Thanks to the deep shadows covering the entire place, they snuck close enough to take a better look.
Four metal tubes extended out of the outer wall at an angle, heading towards the floor. They bent close to the ground and connected to rectangular boxes, which displayed a high number of cogs, springs, pipes, and other metalwork. From those boxes continued a weird line of tables with one thick leg on each side, their surface replaced by countless cylinders resembling rolling pins. Atop those stood the draconic puppets, unmoving, waiting to reach the boxes. Every time one arrived at the mechanical gate, it was launched outside with an explosion of steam that shook the room.
“Where are all the people?” Miria whispered when they retreated behind the corner. “We haven’t seen anyone so far.”
“The core family of Rubytongs isn’t as numerous as you might imagine,” Noir answered, bringing up knowledge she had gathered during her reconnaissance. “There are fewer than fifty members in the clan. The upper echelon makes maybe ten. There’s no way they could trust any servants or even slaves with their secret, so they must rely purely on their puppets and machinery.”
“It might have been easy up to this point, but that’s going to change the moment we make a move here,” Asterios pointed out. “We need to disable these contraptions as permanently as we can.”
“I see three major points of importance,” the Dragon girl crossed her arms over her chest. “First, the huge cogs half-sticking out of the back wall. They pump the steam and whatever other gas the dwarves use into the tanks in the room. And also move the delivery line.”
“I’ll take care of it!” Miria raised her hand with a grin.
Noir studied her for a moment, then nodded. “Second, the passages through which the Golems are moved. We need to collapse them and cut off the supply, damaging the belts that spin the rolls too, just to be sure.”
“Leave that to me,” Asterios offered, and she didn’t argue.
“Finally, the tubes themselves. And the possible reinforcements from other halls. I’ll handle those, then.” She rolled her shoulders and turned to Miria. “Are you sure you can reach those big cogs?”
“Watch me.” The fierce beastfolk flashed her fangs.
She sprinted into the open, and Asterios noticed the hidden patterns on her back glow red underneath her fur. There was a flash by her side, and the purple-edged artifact blade appeared in her hand. As she rushed forward, black mist surrounded her figure and grew exponentially. By the time she reached the back end of the room, she was nearly as big as to perfectly fit in it, turning into a furry giant, the weapon complementing her transformation.
With a reverberating roar, Miria stabbed the sword between the gears in the upper part of the wall. Metal ground against metal, sparks flying out of the point of contact. The cogs whined under stress as they suddenly stopped in place, the hall filling with the scary, rumbling noise of strained machinery that must be hidden everywhere in the walls. Miria didn’t stop there and wiggled her blade to do as much damage as possible, then yanked it out, destroying parts of the contraption on exit. Without delay, she set her gaze on another batch.
“She could wrestle either of our draconic bodies with that size…” Noir gaped at the humongous humanoid feline whose ears grazed against the ceiling.
“Bigger doesn’t always mean better.” Asterios chuckled, patting her on the shoulder. “She might look menacing, but focus a bit more and you will see her struggling to keep balance. Her movements are slower, more awkward, and imprecise. This form has advantages, but isn’t without downsides. Now, let us not fall behind. Shall we, partner?”
His draconic companion smirked and lurched forward too, initiating her own shift. A full black True Dragon threw itself at the piping and began ruining it completely, causing as much damage to everything else in the process. Flames, fangs, claws, body mass, all the tools at a Dragon’s disposal were put to use.
Asterios didn’t follow suit, staying in his humanoid form. He brought forth his trusty greatsword and headed for the passageways carrying the Golems in. The constructs were starting to wake from the commotion, turning their attention to his teammates.
Before they could make the first move, Asterios triggered a runic chip in his weapon, boosted it with his draconic energy, and swung fast. An arc of lightning soared forward, its intensity so high that the light actually darkened the hall. The draconic warriors unlucky enough to stand in the moving line on its path were evenly sliced through like nothing, their nearby comrades singed by the arcing bolts of condensed energy. It flew into the tight tunnel and exploded viciously, caving it in without an issue.
One out, three more to go.
Then they could get to the fun part.